KOME, the former South Bay FM rock powerhouse, staged a reunion at the Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell January 21st. Among the 120 who made it (L to R): Star DJ Dennis Erectus and fellow announcers Jona Denz-Hamilton and Gary T. Torresani. (photo credit: Dave Lepori)

HD ROLLOUT: My HD Radio 101 column drew quite a few letters from people who've had some experience with this emerging technology. (In a nutshell, HD radio is a digital technology, which allows terrestrial AM and FM stations to offer a cleaner sound and additional channels of different programming. A new HD radio is required, and initial prices range from $249 to $1,000 and more. Broadcasters are hoping HD radio will stem the tide of listeners going to satellite, Internet and other listening options, while skeptics say that commercial radio's main problem is content -- not the least of which is ... well, commercials.)

Broadcasters have formed an alliance, which is working to fill format gaps and to ensure that no two stations in a market adopt competing formats. In 43 markets, a rollout of new, commercial-free (for now) subchannels, called HD2, has begun. Here, they include KOIT (96.5 FM), with oldies; KDFC (102.1 FM) with "Deep Tracks Classical"; KZBR ("Max") (95.7 FM) with disco; KYLD ("Wild 94.9" FM) with "Wild Espanol"; KISQ ("Kiss-FM 98.1") with "La Romantica"; and KKSF (103.7 FM) with a channel of traditional jazz.

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Oh, yes. Your letters. George Beiler writes: "I've read that the digital signals on HD radio have a shorter range than the analog signals, and that an HD radio switches to the analog signal when the digital signal is too weak. I wonder what kind of reception people can expect here in the Bay Area."

I checked with Erick Steinberg, director of technical operations for KFOG (104.5 FM), KSAN (107.7 FM) and KNBR (680 AM). What Beiler says is "partly true," he said. "The actual range is about the same, and in some cases, more." Most tuners have a "hybrid mode," he added, and stay with the digital signal except in areas with difficult reception. "Then radios do revert to analog, so it's a smooth blend." Overall, he said, HD offers improved reception.

Glenn Fleishman in Seattle writes: "I've been writing obsessively about HD radio since July, and should note that (the $249) Radiosophy's tuner hasn't been shipped yet. Engineering problems, they keep telling me. Same with Polk Audio's HD system, the iSonic, which is a CD/DVD player with HD. ... The delay is about chip costs and complexity. ... The next generation set of chips (will) be somewhat cheaper, and prices should drop fast.

"Terrestrial radio can't just pretend that digital isn't superior to analog, and they have to make this transition. ... It will definitely be a big deal for public radio, which is heavily subsidizing the addition of HD radio to stations and is subsidizing programming for those new subchannels, too."

And Chris Lindley writes: "If you were to write a follow-up article, you could describe how Britain has been enjoying HD Radio -- where it's known as DAB -- for a couple of years now: More than 3 million receivers have been sold. Compare that to digital radio's poor reception (pun) in the U.S.

"The FCC and Ibiquity (the Maryland company that developed HD radio) have worked together -- to shoot themselves in the foot. Ibiquity invented and the FCC subsequently adopted a standard other than Eureka 147, on which DAB is based (DAB radios, of course, won't receive HD radio signals).

"It will be very interesting to see if Ibiquity can succeed in rolling out HD radio at all. I don't think they'll succeed. As your article suggests, people simply have too many alternatives to tired, commercial-laden radio programming. Many of them have turned off their radios already."

To which I replied: "I actually did mention DAB a year or so ago. A guy in the U.K. wrote to describe the joys of an alternative to the ol' BBC. As for people turning away from radio, it will be interesting to see what happens. TV is using product placement in its entertainment shows. Maybe radio will find a way to do that, too."

Ah, yes. I can hear it now: "KFOG and Sleep Train -- I mean, Train. I was just thinking about your ticket to a ("WOO-WOO!") better night's sleep. 24 Hour Fitness time, co-sponsored by Bud Light, is 9:47. And, now, courtesy of the makers of Purina Dog Chow ... AND our friends at KRON, home of the 9 o'clock news, here's another set of commercial-free music, kickin' off with those Levis-wearing Eagles!"

SITE FOR SORE EARS: New technology may be luring listeners away from conventional radio, but satellite radio and Internet sites are also among the most ardent admirers of the best of radio past. Take Radiofreejack.com. It's an all-out tribute to two things: broadcasting history and Alex Bennett. You will not be surprised to learn that it was put together by Bennett himself. Or that the site offers lots of air checks of his work over the years, from his San Francisco years to his return to New York (He's on Sirius satellite with his own morning talk show), and even a bit of him as a "WMCA Good Guy."

"It is basically a repository for all things Alex," he said, "but my love for old-time radio, which is the greatest influence in what I do, is in evidence as well." There are sections like "Radio Classics," in which you can hear Jack Benny, Fred Allen and "Fibber McGee and Molly." And a "Radio Archives" housing a tribute to the KSFO (560 AM) of the Don Sherwood years. "Sherwood," Bennett said, "was my greatest influence and ... was the perfect example of what a radio personality is and should be."

The tribute has photos of KSFO's personalities circa the early '60s, along with a collection of jingles, bloopers and, soon, some Sherwood air checks, including "Just Plain Rosita," in which Sherwood improvised translations of a Spanish course to create a mini soap opera, "which asks the question: Can a woman of 35 ...?" Another clip has Sherwood doing credible impressions of Nat "King" Cole and Dean Martin.

As for Bennett's show, now that Howard Stern has entered the building: "All continues to go great here at Sirius. We seem to have a large audience, although since there are no ratings, there is no true way to tell. But it feels good, and the more than 3.3 million subscribers certainly can be felt. I never ever thought I would say this, but thank God for Howard. He really helped to put us on the map. Howard's been great for me. He has plugged away at my show and told his audience how much he likes it. So how can I not like him for that?"

I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBERS: The Arbitron ratings for fall 2005 (late September through mid-December) are out. The overall numbers (for all listeners 12 and older, from dawn to midnight) mean nothing to advertisers, but give the top-rated stations bragging rights. Here's a summary, with each point representing 1 percent of radios in use.)

Bonneville had two reasons to celebrate. KOIT bumped up from third to second place (behind perennial leader KGO 810 AM) with a 4.9 rating, while its classical KDFC took third place with 4.1. (KGO had 6.1, down from 6.4.) Next is KMEL (106.1 FM), which fell from second place, and from a 5.1 to 4.0. KCBS (740 AM) kept its fifth place slot with a 3.9, up from 3.5. KSFO is sixth with a 3.2, and there's a five-station tie for seventh place, including Star 101 FM (KIOI), which had the biggest improvement of any station, from 2.0 to 2.9; KBLX (102.9 FM), which soared from 2.3 to 2.9, and KISS FM, which had a 2.5 last time out. They're tied with KNBR and Wild 94.9. KFOG and KKSF are tied at 2.8, while KFRC (99.7 FM), having shifted from oldies to slightly less old songs, had a big boost, from 2.0 to 2.7. The rest of the field, in order, are KSAN (The Bone) FM, KSOL (98.9 FM), KSJO (92.3 FM), Alice (KLLC) 97.3 FM, KRZZ (La Raza) 93.3 FM, and, tied for 20th place, KBRG (100.3 FM), Live 105 FM (KITS) and KNEW (910 AM). In case you're wondering, "The Quake" (KQKE) 960 AM had a 1.2 -- same as it's had in the previous two books. And neither KYCY 1550 AM ("KYOU Radio") nor "Max" (KZBR) cracked the top 25.

RANDOM NOTES: Stern's satellite show was made available on two online sites, allowing visitors to stream the show for free. (Subscribers to Sirius pay $12.95 a month). Stern's company sent a cease-and-desist letter to one, which immediately shut down, with apologies. The other also stopped the streaming and puts its URL (HearHoward100.com) on sale on eBay ... Then, two pirate stations in Brooklyn and Queens began rebroadcasting his show. Sirius has filed a complaint with Stern's buddies at the FCC ... Adam Carolla, the Stern replacement in several markets (he's on KIFR 106.9 FM here) mocked the Asian Excellence Awards the other day with a barrage of "ching chongs" in place of English, even though the late Ismail Merchant and Quentin Tarantino were honorees, along with Lucy Liu. Either Liu or Q could turn Carolla into pulped fiction ... KPFA's general manager, Roy Campanella II, has left the building after only 14 months at the helm. The station's board voted to dismiss Campanella, the subject of numerous charges by station employees of sexual harassment and abusive behavior. Campanella denies those claims ... With a void in their broadcast booth since the death of Bill King in October, the A's have hired Vince Cotroneo to team with Ken Korach. Cotroneo has been in the big leagues since 1991, when he joined the Houston Astros for seven years. He then called games for the Texas Rangers until he was let go in 2003. He says he paid the bills by working in financial services. Steve Bitker, a finalist for the gig, continues as a radio fill-in for the A's ... Remember the San Francisco New Wave scene? Joel Selvin vaguely does, and pays tribute on his show tonight on KSAN at 11 p.m., with rare tracks by Pearl Harbor, Romeo Void and Huey Lewis and the News. Next Sunday, he'll air a 1971 conversation I had with Jim Morrison, just before he left Los Angeles for Paris, where he died later that year. Don't expect a standard interview. I just happened to run into him at a friend's apartment, and he agreed to a chat ... R.I.P. Knowles Robertson, who died Jan. 22 at age 77 in Sonoma. A veteran of 35 years in radio, he was best known for his 20 years as news director on KNEW in Oakland and its then sister station, KSAN in San Francisco, in the '60s and '70s.